Interpreting the GNH Determinants From Health Policy Perspective: A Guide for Health Policy Makers Gyambo Sithey,1 Jayendra Sharma,2 Tandi Dorji,3 Anne-Marie,1 & Mu Li1 Introduction Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a developmental philosophy which aims to strike a balance between material and non-material values, prioritizing the happiness and well-being of all sentient beings. The objective of GNH is to achieve a holistic, sustainable and balanced form of development by considering a range of domains each of which makes a vital contribution to happiness. The domains are living standard, good governance, education, health, ecology diversity, community resilience, time use & balance and psychological well-being. The concept of GNH was introduced in 1972. Over the period of 45 years, two national GNH surveys (2010 and 2015) were conducted. GNH transitioned from developmental philosophy to policy formulation tool. The GNH Index, GNH domains, GNH indicators, GNH determinants and GNH Policy Screening Tool (GNH-PST) all assist in policy formulation and policy screening (Table 1). In 2010, the GNH Policy Screening Tool that systematically reviews the effect of policies and projects on GNH was developed by the 1School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia. Corresponding author’s email:
[email protected] 2 Policy & Planning Division, Ministry of Health, Thimphu Bhutan. 3 Centre for Research Initiatives, Changangkha, Thimphu, Bhutan. 52 Interpreting GNH Determinants From Health Policy Perspective Centre for Bhutan Studies and Gross National Happiness (CBS & GNH) and implemented by Gross National Happiness Secretariat (GNHC). The purpose of GNH-PST is to screen the adverse effect of the policies on GNH determinants (Table 2) during the policy formulation.